Chelsea have submitted a £25m offer to sign Nantes’ highly-rated centre-back Tylel Tati, according to L’Equipe.
The Blues spent much of January negotiating a deal for Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet before Liverpool swooped in to trump them to the France U21 international’s signature.
With their primary target now joining their rivals, the club have wasted no time in turning attention to other alternatives and have set their sights on Tati.
The Frenchman debuted for Nantes in the first game of the season against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and has remained an undisputed presence in the starting lineup.
The 6ft 3in centre-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise since coming through the ranks at Nantes, featuring in 19 of their 20 Ligue 1 games, 18 of which were starts, and his displays have caught the eye.
According to L’Equipe, Chelsea have expressed interest in Tati and have presented a verbal offer for the potential transfer of the France U18 international to Stamford Bridge.
Prospect
As part of their strategy, the Blues are renowned for paying high fees for young players, and it’s no surprise that the French outlet reports Liam Rosenior’s side have proposed a £25m fee with a sale-on clause, with talks intensifying ‘in recent hours’.
The London giants are also proposing a significant career leap by signing for Chelsea before joining BlueCo’s sister club, Strasbourg, on loan to develop in the second half of the season with the aim of rejoining the Blues’ first team, according to the report.
Chelsea are not short of exciting centre-back prospects on the books of the club. In the first team, 19-year-old Josh Acheampong has been part of the senior squad since being fully integrated.
Alongside the academy and first-team stars, the squad already includes Aaron Anselmino and Mamadou Sarr, both of whom were recalled from their loan spells in Strasbourg and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.
In November, Chelsea reached an agreement in principle to sign highly rated Colombian centre-back Deinner Ordóñez from Independiente del Valle when he turns 18.
That said, Chelsea are well supplied with promising centre-back prospects. As a result, Liam Rosenior may benefit from utilising more experienced players, particularly in defence, and the Blues could be better served by targeting an established defender rather than another young player who may need time to adapt.
